Stunning
by imsuchanut
Summary: But Rose didn't pay any attention to him, instead just flitted through the library shelves. She occasionally picked up a book or two, but put them all back. "Doctor?" "Hmm?" He tried to seem disinterested, but was sure that she could see through him. "Would you date me?"


**A/N: What's up? I'm super happy, these past few days have been great! But I'm sure you really don't want to hear about my life.**

**Anyways, I have been working on my other stories, so yay! You guys should check em out!**

**I did steal a lot of the dialogue from 'X-Men First Class'. I was watching it, and just felt the need to go and write this.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

It was a lazy, Sunday afternoon in the TARDIS. As it was Sunday, they Doctor and Rose didn't go anywhere. According to him, Sundays were always boring. Never mind the fact that they were in a _time machine._

But Rose didn't really care, and went off to do her own thing. He presumed she was phoning Jackie, and whenever that happened he was always sure to be far away. Otherwise, she would just yell at him for not bringing Rose back often enough (was it his fault that they were always so busy?), putting Rose in danger (although he knew for sure that neither of them told her, she had some sort of Spidey-sense), and then ask why the hell he was in Rose's bedroom (that was the point when he usually would just hand the mobile back to Rose and run away).

It was best if Jackie didn't know that he actually spent a large amount of time hanging out in Rose's room. He occasionally spent the night there. It was all _strictly platonic_, mind you, but Jackie probably wouldn't take too kindly to that. And he didn't fancy regenerating just yet; Rose liked this body.

The Doctor tried not to think about the fact that he missed Rose. Already. She had only been gone for a few hours, and yet he wanted her back. It made him feel a bit pathetic, and he was a 900 year-old Time Lord. He should not be feeling pathetic.

So, he went to the library and picked up an old book about quantum physics. Good old science would keep his thoughts off of her.

His plan worked for about half an hour, until she sauntered in wearing a bathrobe, and his eyes widened. Yes, he had seen her in a bikini before, but this felt different. More _real_. The Doctor shifted his gaze to his book before she could catch him staring.

But Rose didn't pay any attention to him, instead just flitting through the library shelves. She occasionally picked up a book or two, but put them all back.

"Doctor?"

"Hmm?" He tried to seem disinterested, but was sure that she could see through him.

"Would you date me?"

His brain stopped working. He thought she was messing with him, or just being a tease. She couldn't be asking what he thought. The Doctor looked up and saw her still searching through the shelves, and realized she was just asking his opinion. _Typical_.

"Of course I would, any man would be lucky to have you. You're stunning." He really hoped he hadn't given too much away with that.

"Like this?" She gestured at herself, but he sensed she wasn't really talking about her attire.

"Like what?"

"Like whom I am now. I mean, I'm not reliable. I travel on a ship through time and space with an alien after I left my mum and all my friends. I'm not educated and I use to work in a shop. I'm not exactly diplomatic, so I'm not very good at the 'job' I do have. I'm an awful person."

"You're my best friend."

She laughed. "I'm your only friend. Well, besides the TARDIS."

"Thank you for that."

"Well?"

"I know you. Those things you said about yourself? They're wrong. You're fantastic," he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"But what if you didn't know me? You'd just think I'm some useless chav."

"But fortunately, I do know you. And none of those things you said were physical characteristics, so if someone didn't know you, they would only be judging you on your looks."

"Oh." He realized what that sounded like, and quickly backtracked.

"_No no no_, what I meant was that, like I said earlier, you're stunning. So someone would be attracted to you. And if he got to know you, I'm sure he would date you. Because you're really quite amazing."

Rose smiled and went to sit down next to him on the sofa. As she moved, he could see that, much to his relief (_disappointment, utter disappointment_) she was wearing shorts and a t shirt under the robe. "Thank you, Doctor. You always know what to say."

"What's gotten into you, lately? You've been awfully concerned with how other people perceive you."

Rose looked down and picked with a thread on her bathrobe. He really hoped he hadn't just hit a wrong note. "I don't know, it's just…with everything that's been going on, it makes a girl wonder."

He frowned. "How d'you mean?"

She sighed. Definitely a wrong note. "Well you know, with Sarah Jane, and then Reinette, and then Mickey leaving."

"Oh." Now he felt even worse than he did after those incidents, because really, she was feeling this way mostly because of him. He had felt awful, but he didn't know that _she_ was still feeling awful. And he didn't know if he could really forgive himself for that.

"Yeah. Oh. But I'm okay, I really am. I just wonder sometimes."

"Rose-"

"You don't have to say anything, Doctor. I don't want to make you feel guilty."

"Rose I-"

"Can you do something for me though?"

He smiled. For her? Of course. "Sure, anything."

"Just read to me."

He quirked an eyebrow. "I'm tired, and your voice puts me to sleep."

"Rose Tyler, are you calling me boring?"

She giggled. "Maybe I am, old man."

"What do you want me to read?"

She pointed and the quantum physics book in his hand. "That'll do. _That's_ boring. It'll put me out right away." And so he read to her, smiling to himself as he watched her succumb to the temptations of sleep. He would never admit it to her, but he got a secret pleasure from this. Watching her curled up against him, completely vulnerable but utterly trusting, it only made him love her more.

And he would tell her, sometime soon, because she deserved to hear it. She was his Rose, his Fortuna, and she needed to know just how loved she was. She was worth more than everything he could give her, and all the pain loving her would later bring. But he would survive because of memories of her.

As soon as she was asleep, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

_Stunning_, he thought.

**A/n: Hey, thank you so much for reading! And if you could please review, that'd be great. I'd love to hear what you liked, or what could be improved.**

**Until next time!**


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